BELMAR – The borough’s boardwalk is rebuilt, with amenities slowly being restored, now FEMA is reimbursing Belmar for the work.

The Sandy-battered community received a sizable boost Tuesday with the announcement that FEMA has awarded a grant worth more than $9.2 million to help pay for the reconstruction of Belmar's boardwalk, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) said.

“I have been going to Belmar since I was a young boy, but in the days after Superstorm Sandy, it was unrecognizable to me,” Smith said in a Tuesday press release. “The boardwalk—the economic lifeblood of the borough as it is with many Jersey Shore towns—had been utterly destroyed. The restoration is a prime example of an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach—the federal government, state, county, mayor and council—a unified front to rebuild and restore.”

The decision will provide $9,244,688.54 in Federal funding to Belmar for the use of contractors for the replacement of the boardwalk destroyed as a result of Superstorm Sandy, and is authorized under section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act.

“I take this opportunity to remind everyone that the boardwalk is now open for visitors and invite them to visit Belmar and other shore towns whose economies are so reliant on visitors coming to have fun and relax on their beautiful beaches,” Smith said.

The footprint of the boardwalk was determined by review of historic aerial photographs, available plans and bidding documents for the replacement project.

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At a June meeting with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in Smith’s Washington Office, Smith asked for 90-10 federal share for FEMA funding for Belmar and other towns. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later.

“The switch from a 75-25 percent federal-local cost share to a 90-10 split will obviously make a huge difference for the people of Belmar and the town’s budget,” Smith said.

The $8 million, rebuilt 1.3-mile boardwalk consists of 1,753 timber piles and190,000 square feet of girders, stringers, and boardwalk deck. The funding also paid for access steps, bicycle ramps, the painting of parking striping on asphalt and the replacement of playground equipment damaged or destroyed by the storm.

The borough’s extension of the boardwalk goes beyond its original footprint on the southern end, from 20th Street to North Boulevard. The additional 9,400 square-foot extension resulted in additional contract costs not eligible in the FEMA grant for the replacement project.